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Home Solar + Microfinance: Mitigating Risks and Maximizing Rewards
The social impact of home solar systems in off-grid villages has shown itself to be broader than initially thought. But while social enterprises continue to roll out new forms of solar, financing their purchase can put these innovations out of reach for the low-income households that need them most. Mark Roesink of Oikocredit shares how weaving responsible microlending into the solar industry could generate greater impact for energy access in emerging markets like India and Kenya.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
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Mini-grids could be a boon to poor people in Africa and Asia
Vijay Bhaskar of Mlinda says a big mistake in development has been to assume that, once people are hooked up to electricity, businesses will automatically flourish. People have to be taught how to make the most of power, he says. “Bringing energy is the easy part. The hard part is finding productive ways to make use of it.”
- Categories
- Energy
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Women Leaders, Women Lenders: Why Impact Investing Should Follow Microfinance’s Lead on Female Empowerment
Women have been an integral part of microfinance since the very beginning. But though the percentage of women in top leadership positions in microfinance institutions is high compared to the rest of the global banking sector, it’s still lower than women’s proportion of the overall population – and far lower than the percentage of female clients served by these institutions. Abiskar Shrestha, a senior investment officer at MicroVest Capital Management, explores how the sector can boost female leadership – and how investors can help.
- Categories
- Investing
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Mali and International Fund for Agricultural Development ink deal to connect farmers to rural financing
By providing a range of financial products, including savings, credit and micro-insurance, the project will enable smallholder farmers to invest in the necessary infrastructure and equipment that will help them produce, store, process and better market their products.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press release: IFC invests $100 million in Mahindra Finance for loans to farmers
“Since its inception in 1991, Mahindra Finance has been working in the rural and semi-urban areas of India, catalyzing financial inclusion of the unbanked and under-served communities and also partnering with them in their difficult times. Our focus has been on enabling these customers with innovative financial solutions, tailor made to their evolving needs” said Ramesh Iyer, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra Finance.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- South Asia
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Don’t Throw the Banks Out with the Bathwater: Why the 2017 Findex Shows Opportunity for Microfinance Institutions
The World Bank's most recent Global Findex report has cast significant doubt on the lofty goal of universal financial access by 2020. Signs point to the slowing of financial inclusion in many places, raising questions as to how regulated microfinance institutions should respond to the emergence of mobile money and other fintech disruptors. After examining the numbers, here’s why Scott Graham of FINCA International argues that traditional banks still serve a vital purpose.
- Categories
- Finance
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Federal Bank looks to acquire Madura Microfinance
The acquisition will help Federal Bank venture into microfinance and grow its priority sector loans.
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- microfinance
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India’s RBL Bank Completes Ownership of Microfinance Institution (MFI) Swadhaar Finserve with Equity Purchases from Accion, Individual Investors
For an undisclosed prices, RBL bought a 36-percent stake from US-based NGO Accion and a total of 4 percent from a group of unidentified individual investors.
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- microfinance, MSMEs
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